Human nutrition requires a source of the components of protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals. Many and varied sources for these nutrient materials have been utilized in the prior art. The prior art does not disclose the concept of providing a balanced supply of nutrients which permits substantially improved absorption of the nutrients which are administered to an individual.
For some time now, it has been apparent that the solution to the world's requirement for a nourishing food supply will partly depend on maximizing the combined benefits from food technology and nutritional knowledge, and adapting these benefits toward human needs. Among the nutritional interventions to be considered in a nutritional program is food nutrification, defined as the addition of one or more nutrients to one or more commonly consumed foods or food mixtures. If properly introduced and controlled, it can improve the dietary intake of a given population. The process of "nutrification" simply makes a food more nutritious. Over the past two decades, a number of articles have been published on the merit of nutrification of foods. Nutrification is the most rapidly applied, most flexible, and most socially acceptable intervention method of changing the nutrient intake of a given population without a vast educational effort or change in the current food intake pattern. However, the tremendous potential offered by wise utilization of industrially produced nutrients, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and protein isolates has rarely been fully utilized. The present invention provides amino acid supplements that are specially prepared for different foods. Each supplement is formulated to substantially improve the nutritional value of a given food's protein. The nutrification concept of the invention has been proven with bovine milk and soybean flour.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,287 disclose an amino acid food composition which is described as a palatable mixture of the essential and non-essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and fats. That composition contains essential and non-essential amino acids. The essential amino acids in such a composition are present in the following ratios:
______________________________________ L-valine 1.0 L-arginine 1.77 L-isoleucine .91 L-lysine 1.03 L-phenylalanine 1.03 L-histidine .44 L-leucine 1.43 L-methionine .93 L-threonine .91 L-tryptophan .28 ______________________________________
I have discovered that the addition of certain amino acids to food compositions to provide a resulting specific proportion of the essential amino acids will make possible a higher NNU as compared to an unnutrified food.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved amino acid modified nutrient composition.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an amino acid modified composition for use as a supplement, source and/or complement to foodstuffs such as flours, dry milk solids, casein liquids, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and the like to provide or increase the net nitrogen utilization (NNU).
It is also an object of the invention to provide an amino acid modified composition which has a ratio of essential amino acids that will provide a higher net nitrogen utilization (NNU) as compared to unnutrified foods.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the appended specification.